Quitting Single-Use Plastic Packaging

California’s new law on plastic packaging is an encouraging sign for Santa Clara’s recycling efforts, but some have their doubts

This past summer, Governor Newsom signed S.B. 54, which aims to decrease plastic packaging by 25% over the next 10 years. By 2032, the bill mandates that all packaging in the state must be recyclable or compostable. The bill is encouraging for Santa Clara’s own goals to reduce its waste on campus, but the path to reduced waste is a slow and complex trek. 

Santa Clara has seen success in reducing overall waste by shifting to compostable or recyclable material. Additionally Santa Clara’s Center for Sustainability provides information on alternatives. However, according to Benson Dining Services, plastic packaging still persists in the beverages and other products that come into Santa Clara. To mitigate this Dining Services actively attempt to minimize waste by using recyclable and compostable items, such as the to-go plates in Benson.

The use of plastic is so widespread that some believe the law is unnecessarily burdensome, but some environmentalists believe the law does not go far enough. Sophomore marketing major Paige Giordano questions the feasibility of implementing the law.

“The idea is good in theory,” Giordano said. “Everyone should want products to be able to be disposed of properly, but at the same time the logistics of that can be challenging. Businesses have to figure out how they're going to do that and does that mean the products are going to cost more money?”

Beyond the financial implications of the new law, Giordano believes that students, whether they admit it or not, rely upon the convenience of plastic packaged goods. Furthermore, Giordano thinks college students are more likely to use plastic products than everyday working professionals due to constantly being on the go.

Sophomore psychology major Anna Driscoll agrees that the college lifestyle is not necessarily conducive to reducing plastic usage.

“All [the] calculators and books are wrapped in plastic and even the online codes are wrapped in plastic,” Driscoll said. “I think it would be good to have the refillable water bottle stations more around campus. I liked that idea a lot, but even from the bakery if you ask for a cup of ice they give it to you in a plastic cup.”

For junior computer science and music double major Edmund Allen, providing these recyclable and compostable plates and utensils is enough of an incentive for students to change their habits. He notes that although he tries to avoid plastic whenever possible, society’s heavy reliance on plastic goods makes it unavoidable.

For Allen, the cost-benefit analysis of California’s new law has less to do with financial costs and more to do with changing outlooks. Allen explains that compostable alternatives, while generally not as durable, have come a long way and they’re seeing more usage. Whether these alternatives are picked ultimately remains in the hands of students and faculty, according to Allen.

“Humans, in general, think ‘Oh, I'm just one person, my use today won't really affect anything in the long run,’” Allen said. “But I like to think that your moral compass guides you the other way.”